COSTA MESA : Demolition Begins on Old Martin Terminal

Sparks flew in the early Monday morning fog when a demolition crew started to tear down the Eddie Martin Terminal at John Wayne Airport.

Dedicated by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in May, 1967, the Edward J. (Eddie) Martin Terminal was named after the die-hard pilot who established an airfield in the area in the early 1920s.

In those days, Martin was conducting business on a dirt runway.

That rudimentary airfield eventually paved the way to building the John Wayne Airport, although it wasn’t until 1979 that the airport was named after the movie star who lived in Newport Beach, said Pat Ware, a spokeswoman for the airport.

Three months after the Eddie Martin Terminal was built, it had to be expanded and modified to accommodate an increasing number of air travelers.

As the popularity of air travel increased, the terminal was given face lifts to keep up.

But the terminal has problems with asbestos and the pillars were built too close for modern jets, Ware said.

In short, airport use outgrew the two-story edifice.

“It’s pretty old,” said Ware. “The destruction is kind of the end of an era.”

A week ago, the demolition crew started destroying the northern portion of the terminal, including the baggage claim area.

And on Thursday, the walls are scheduled to be torn down once and for all.